As we print this newsletter, our country is engaged in a brutal war in the Persian Gulf. It is hard for me to write something humorous about nuts and berries or tofu at such a time, so I would instead like to reprint an article written by my friend Mary Rogers, President of the Sacramento Vegetarian Society. I have made only a few minor changes in the wording.

"Eating Our Way to War?"

"If everyone in the U.S. were vegetarian, could we have avoided going to war in the Persian Gulf? Probably not, but absurd as it may sound on the surface, there is a connection, and it's a very simple one: animal agriculture is extremely inefficient and uses a substantial portion of our energy resources.

"Cornell University economists David Fields and Robin Hur are quoted by John Robbins in Diet for a New America:

"Robbins also quotes Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet, who reports that 'the value of raw materials consumed to produce food from livestock is greater than the value of all oil, gas, and coal consumed in this country.'

"American agriculture has become extremely energy intensive; it consumes more fossil fuel energy than it gives back in food energy, as Keith Akers states in A Vegetarian Sourcebook. He informs us that producing animal foods requires 10 to 1,000 times more energy than an equivalent amount of plant foods. In fact, it 'gobbles up almost all the energy in the U.S. food system.' Fishing, as well as land agriculture, earns Akers' wrath. 'Both coastal and deep-sea fishing are truly inefficient', he says.

"These statements are easier to understand when we consider all the steps in the production and harvesting of animal foods: the artificially controlled heating and cooling of factory farm buildings, the energy needed to bring feed to animals and to remove their wastes. Energy is needed for the mechanization of nearly everything on modern factory farms, from the electric conveyor belts and stunning tanks, to automatic milking machines.

"Fossil fuels are also used to manufacture synthetic fertilizers, which, unfortunately, don't replenish the soil as do sustainable organic agricultural methods. Rather, they deplete it, creating a need for yet more fertilizer use, and more irrigation systems. A huge amount of fuel is needed to pump groundwater to the surface and even to carry water over mountain ranges.

"According to Akers, 'as much as 50% of the new land being brought into production will have to be irrigated.' Today, 15% of the earth's surface is already under irrigation.

"Because animal products decay so rapidly, they require more refrigeration than other foods, both during storage and transportation. Tractors aren't the only vehicles burning fuel to provide humans with animals to eat. 'Locally-grown' has very little meaning in animal agriculture. Think about the innumerable trucks, trains, planes, and ships, carting animals and their carcasses every day and every night, all over the country, and beyond.

"Reducing our dependence on the products of the oil fields by conserving energy, driving less, recycling, and not eating animal products will greatly reduce the demand for oil which our bloated lifestyle created in the first place. That demand has given oil producers and controllers their power to barter the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people for the profits of a few. And we have within our grasp the power to stop this obscenity. It's as close as public transit, bicycles, and our dinner plates."

Best wishes,

-Elaine French

Both Elaine French and editor Bill Harris M.D. will be featured speakers at "Vegetarian Frontiers", the 31st annual convention of the American Vegan Society at Regis University in Denver. The dates are August 7-11, 1991. Registration forms are available from us and should be sent to the host organization, the Vegetarian Society of Colorado, P.O. Box 6773, Denver, CO 80206. Registration ranges from $70-$90 and campus accommodations from $195-$250, which includes vegan meals.

SPRING 1991 CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

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Sunday, March 3rd:

Potluck dinner at the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club. Bring a dish serving 4-6 people and containing no meat, poultry or fish. Many members are vegans who do not eat eggs, dairy products or honey either. Also bring a 3x5 card with a list of ingredients for your dish. 6:00 P.M. Call 395-1499 for directions to yacht club.

The Great American Meatout, a national event. Encourage your friends and relatives to sign a pledge agreeing not to eat any meat on this day. Pledge cards available by calling 395-1499.

Mondays, March 25th, April 1st and 8th:

Series of three low fat, no cholesterol cooking classes taught by Elaine French. Four course dinner is included each evening. Space is limited, reserve a place by sending payment in full to the Vegetarian Society. $55 for non-members, $50 for members. 6:30 to 9:30 P.M. Call 395-1499 for more information.

Tuesday, April 9th:

Monthly meeting of the Society. Rob Quigley, Instructor of Nutrition at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, speaks on the topic "Vegetarian Diets and Longevity". 7:00 P.M. at Manoa Public Library, 2716 Woodlawn Drive.

Saturday, April 27th:

Potluck dinner at the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club. Bring a dish serving 4-6 people and containing no meat, poultry or fish. Many members are vegans who do not eat any eggs, dairy products or honey either. Also bring a 3x5 card with a list of ingredients for your dish. 6:00 P.M. Call 395-1499 for directions to the yacht club.

Tuesday, May 14th:

Monthly meeting of the Society. Cynthia Smith, historian and former lecturer in World History at Leeward Community College, speaks on the topic "Animal Agriculture and the Fall of Civilization". 7:00 P.M.at Kaimuki Library.

Sunday, May 26th:

Meet at Country Life Vegetarian Buffet for a casual dinner. No reservations necessary. Bring your Society membership card for a 10% discount. 6:00 P.M. at 421 Nahua Street in Waikiki. Parking will be partially validated at Outrigger parking lots.

All other activities of the Vegetarian Society are publicized in our newsletter, which is mailed to members quarterly.

Related events:

Assorted potluck dinners will also be held in private homes on a more frequent basis. If you would like to attend one or volunteer your home, please call Gerry Bradshaw at 521-9762.

The radio program "Nutrition and You" with Dr. Terry Shintani and Ruth Heidrich has a new location on K108 Sundays from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.

"Health Talk" with Hesh can now be found on K108 Thursdays from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M.

Tuesdays, June 4th, 11th and 18th:

Ruth Heidrich will be teaching a course entitled "The Cancer Patient's Survival Guide" at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It is designed for patients or their supporters. 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. Call 956-8400 to register. Ruth, incidentally, set a treadmill record of 26 min 27 sec at the Cooper Aerobic Clinic in Dallas, won her age group ( 55-59) in a recent marathon, and authored A Race for Life: From Cancer to the Ironman. States Ruth, "People say to women as they get older,'Take it easy.' But I say,'No,take it hard.' There are far more people who don't do enough than who do too much." Ruth believes, "There's got to be a diet revolution in this country. We're killing ourselves with our knives and forks." Ruth has done the Ironman Triathlon six times and run 30 marathons.

Those of you who remember Betty Tam's great vegetarian buffets at Little Shanghai restaurant a few years back will be delighted to hear that Betty is doing a repeat performance at the Asian Palette at Ala Moana. Her vegetarian buffet now will be held every Sunday evening, and reservations are necessary . Call 957-0088 for more information.

A SASE will get you a free copy of our Honolulu Dining Guide.

Restaurant Review

The Natural Deli

2525 S. King St.

Honolulu, HI 96826

Phone: 949-8188

Open daily 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.

When vegetarians move to Oahu, 2525 S. King Street is often the first place they discover. They do their whole foods grocery shopping at Down to Earth, and then check out the daily special at the adjacent Natural Deli. They fill a plate with something tasty, add chilies, yeast or other condiments, and climb the stairs to the no-frills dining area above the store.

The daily special at The Natural Deli is a satisfying and reasonably-priced hot entree which always comes in a vegan version. Some of our favorites are the Curry Rice and Dal, Thai Tofu Noodles, and Garbanzo Gumbo (see recipe in this newsletter). There are also soups, sandwiches and pre-made salads, as well as a 23-item salad bar. The whole grain desserts are popular, and there are usually a couple of dairy-free ones available.

The deli is run by a personable and hard-working couple, Mike and Carol Gabbard. Mike is a lean, alert Samoan who is living testimony to the benefits of a long-term vegetarian diet. He and Carol aim to provide food acceptable to confirmed vegetarians while also tempting the palates of meat-eaters with familiar dishes. They draw in omnivores by the dozen who cheerfully consume meatless local-style kaukau such as Chili with Rice, Better n' Beef Stew, and (vegan) Coleslaw or Macaroni Salad.

No eggs are used at The Natural Deli, and many of their dishes are dairy-free too. A small amount of canola oil is used when necessary, but Mike says they have cut down on the use of fat and cheese due to a customer demand for lighter fare. Considering the limitations of a deli-type operation, they produce a very good product. Our only complaint is an occasional too-salty entree, probably caused by the evaporation of liquid from sauces as the food sits on the steam table. It would also be nice to see some desserts made with maple or rice syrup instead of the ubiquitous honey.

All items on the menu, including whole cakes, can be catered for large groups or purchased by the pound. The Natural Deli is a casual and friendly place; you will inevitably run into old friends or meet new ones when you dine there.

T-SHIRTS

Our beautiful Vegetarian Society T-shirts have finally arrived, and they were a big hit at the Health and Fitness Fair in the middle of February. The design was created by the top artist at Crazy Shirts Hawaii, and owner Rick Ralston was extremely generous in donating the art work to us for free (a $450 value!). The logo is printed in six bright colors on the well-known highest quality Crazy Shirts white crew-neck shirts. The price of our shirts for the general public is $15.00, but we are only charging our members $13.00 for them. They are available for sale at all of our activities, or we can mail them to you if you include $2.50 per shirt for postage and handling. Be sure to specify your size (S,M,L,XL).

Name________________________________________

Street _____________________________________

City, State, ZIP____________________________

Size ( S M L XL )

VSH Member $13 ____

Non-member $15 ____

Postage $2.50 ____

Total Enclosed ____

RECIPES

Garlic Bread

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1/3 cup fine corn flour

1 1/3 cups water, divided

2/3 cup boiling water

1/2 cup raw cashew pieces

2-4 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp yeast flakes

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

1 tsp salt

4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp dill weed

1 loaf whole wheat bread

In a double boiler (or non-stick saucepan), mix corn flour with 1/3 cup water until smooth. Gradually add the boiling water, stirring vigorously until blended. Bring to a boil, stirring

constantly. Reduce heat to very low and cook for 5 minutes. Put corn flour mixture in a blender with remaining 1 cup water,cashews, garlic, yeast, onion, salt and lemon juice. Liquify until smooth, about two minutes. Briefly whiz in sesame seeds and herbs. Spread thickly on bread slices and broil until crusty and beginning to brown.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add ginger, chiles, cumin and mustard seeds. Fry until cumin seeds turn brown. Add tomatoes, turmeric, lemon juice, garam masala and 2 Tbsp of the coriander. Cook on medium heat, adding a little water if necessary and stirring until smooth. Add garbanzos and spinach and more water or bean liquid to the right consistency. Add salt and remaining coriander. Garnish with lemon or lime slices if desired. Serve over brown rice.

Carol Gabbard of the Natural Deli says that the oil in Garbanzo Gumbo is necessary to impart the right flavor to the dish. For our members who prefer to follow a low fat diet, we have tried making this by sauteeing the spices in 1/2 cup water and it still tasted quite good.

As is our custom, we have done nutrient index analysis on both these recipes for 13 selected and important nutrients. In the left column is the Recommended Daily Allowance for the nutrient. In the other two columns are the indices for the recipe.

The Garlic Bread shows up surprisingly well, with 1.6 times the protein (from cashew, yeast, and sesame), 4.5 times the iron, and 1.7 times the calcium (from unhulled sesame seeds) needed per Calorie in the overall diet. If the yeast had added cobalamin (from bacterial culture) there would also be some vitamin B12. Check the label when you buy yeast.

The Gumbo is loaded, with 2.1 times the protein (garbanzos), 10.9 times the iron, 18.1 times the vitamin C, 12.7 times the folacin, and 3.9 times the calcium, needed per Calorie in the overall diet. If the canola oil is left out, the % of Calories from fat drops from 27% to 12% (at 9 Calories per gram of fat).

NUTRIENT INDICES

RDA

Garlic Bread

Garbanzo Gumbo

Calories

2900

1.0

1.0

Protein(Gm)

63

1.6

2.1

Fat (Gm)-(VSH Rec.)

32

3.0

2.7

Cholesterol

0

0.0

0.0

Iron(Mg)

10

4.5

10.9

Zinc(Mg)

15

1.6

1.8

Vitamin C(Mg)

60

4.6

18.1

Thiamin(Mg)

1.5

1.7

2.3

Riboflavin(Mg)

1.7

0.8

3.2

Vitamin B6(Mg)

28

0.8

2.5

Folacin(Ug)

200

3.0

12.7

Vitamin B12(Ug)

2

0.0

0.0

Panto. Acid(Mg)

5.5

1.4

1.3

Calcium

800

1.7

3.9

Lifelines: the Toronto Vegetarian Society

We stopped over in Toronto last month on a combined trampoline/ski trip. It's a big city, population three million, with lots of freeways and lots of cars. In spite of that we met up with the Toronto Vegetarian Association at the very pleasant Annapurna Indian Restaurant downtown on Bathurst Street. Peter McQueen, the club president, told us the club has been up and running since 1945 and has about 500 members, including Sally, 94 years old, an original member who is now honorary president. The club is super organized and has a flow sheet outlining duties and responsibilities of a dozen people who put out the bi-monthly newsletter Lifelines.

As it happened, about 12 of the mainstays showed up for dinner and proved to be very friendly and knowledgeable. In addition to Peter there were Edith Smith, vice-president Ken Quinn, newsletter director, Sally Grande and Dr. Ken Cheng from the program committee, John Campbell and Catherine Adam from the outreach committee, Julia Hattori and husband Fred Kay from fundraising, Leslie Wilkins, planning director, and David Sharpe, assistant editor. With such a luxuriant supply of volunteers we were about to suggest they had more committee members than we have members, but then remembered VSH now numbers 175, and that after only nine months in action. Since Toronto has a 46 year head start on us, we have high hopes.

After a tasty dinner which involved curried rice, vegetables and tofu, Peter took us to the Association office, located in an unfrocked church which is shared with other non-establishment organizations. There we found out their bi-monthly is done on an up-to-date computer and a laser printer. They publish a restaurant guide listing 3 veggie caterers, 15 vegetarian restaurants and 50 other restaurants serving vegetarian entrees. One place featured "vegetarian chopped liver". As we said, it's a big town.

-Bill Harris, M.D.

CELEBRATE: CANADIAN MEAT MONTH

It rained for 6 out of 10 days at Whistler so instead of skiing we read newspapers. The Canadian meat industry likes confuse-o-grams as much as the National Dairy Council (see VSH Vol.I, No.2). A splendid example of the genre is shown above as it appeared in the Vancouver Sun.

The name of the game here is to present fatty food in its best light with a disguised nutrient/weight sort. We took the info as presented, fed it into our computer, added two of our favorite vegetable foods for comparison, and sorted by nutrient/Calorie ratio. The computer would only do a six series stacked bar graph so we cut niacin, which really isn't a vitamin, and left B12, which really is, as a tradeoff. The column "RDA/Cal" represents the amount of each of the six nutrients needed from each Calorie in the over-all diet to meet 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance.

Look what happens to meat when it's sorted by nutrient/Calorie ratio:

-Bill Harris, M.D.

MEET THE MEMBERS

This quarter we would like to introduce you to Hesh Goldstein, one of our most committed and vocal members. Hesh spreads the word about vegetarianism weekly on the K108 radio program "Health Talk", where Hawaiian audiences have heard his dietary advice since 1982.

Hesh was born in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, where he played football and was on the swim team at school. He had his first glimpse of the meat industry during a summer job working for a butcher. One day when he was assigned to pick up the "finished products" from a meat-packing plant, he stepped inside to the slaughterhouse floor; he was horrified at the scene before him and he says his memory of that experience is still vivid after the passage of many years.

Hesh's first career was as a comptroller for a large corporation on the east coast, but he eventually became frustrated with his high-powered corporate existence. When he was 34, he quit his job and moved to Aspen to spend time with a woman friend. She wanted to become a vegetarian and encouraged Hesh to do so too. Eager to please her, Hesh gave away $100 worth of meat they had in the freezer and vowed never to eat the stuff again. But the vagaries of love are never to be predicted, and the woman left him a week later. Instead of going out for a hamburger to drown his sorrow, Hesh got a job washing dishes at a vegetarian restaurant and asked the staff to teach him how to cook.

A couple of years later, Hesh bought a Fodor's guide to the islands and decided to move to Maui. He went straight to Mr. Natural's, a vegetarian restaurant listed in the guide, and got a job cooking for them. When they closed, he worked for the Community Co-op, also known as the Nishiki Market and later The Market.

In 1977 the owner of The Market bought land in Honolulu and formed Down to Earth Inc. Hesh moved to the big city and was the accountant for Down to Earth, later serving as co-manager of the store. He started the radio program, first known as the "Down to Earth Health Show", while continuing to keep the books for the store.

In addition to his radio program and work as a masseur, Hesh is active physically. He swims and plays tennis, as well as race-walking for daily exercise. He also studies Wing Chun, a type of Chinese martial arts. He is divorced and has four children, two of whom are in college. He lives by himself in the Punchbowl area.

Hesh currently funds his own show and has no obligations to sponsors, so his message on the air is blunt and to the point. He feels that the main challenge in helping people to become vegetarians is overcoming the problem of conditioning. "People have been conditioned to like the taste of flesh and blood on their tongues, and they must learn to change their tastes."

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Elaine and Jerry have a request to ask of you that will help make our lives a little less crazy. Although Jerry is listed in the phone book and some of you have been calling us on our home phone, we would like to beg you to call us on the Vegetarian Society line instead. Don't be put off by the answering machine, because we are very good at answering our messages promptly. As you know, we are both volunteers and we both do have other full-time jobs. We need time without our personal phone ringing in order to cook meals, wash clothes, pay bills, and just relax once in a while. Thank you very much for your understanding!

Speaking of phone numbers, thanks to Gerry Bradshaw and a dozen other volunteers, we now have a phone tree in effect. We are able to contact all of our members at a moment's notice if an important vegetarian celebrity comes to town, or if one of our activities has to be canceled unexpectedly. If you did not put your phone number on your membership application, you might want to call us and let us know how to contact you.

ANIMAL RIGHTS CORNER

Cathy Goeggel reports that Animal Rights Hawaii (ARH) will have a booth in the Pet Expo at the Blaisdell Center May 11 and 12 during Be Kind to Animals Week. The Expo usually features dogs, cats, birds, show bunnies, and fish. ( Bet you didn't know you can train your fish to swim through a hoop).

Professor Tom Regan (The Case For Animal Rights) will be at UH Manoa on Friday May 3, addressing ethical issues at a technical level for the philosophy department. The next day he'll be at the Hawaiian Humane Society speaking on animal rights issues, and the following day ARH will be participating in an animal-oriented function at Bishop Museum. For particulars call Cathy at 262-6192.

Hawaii House Bill HB1578, outlawing the slaughter and eating of dogs, is under consideration in the state legislature. There are also three bills, HB 972, HB 1277 and SB 1277 aimed at the prohibition of long line fishing in Hawaiian waters. The Legislative Reference Bureau at 548-4262 can keep you up to date on pending legislation, and the Humane Society at 955-5122 also monitors the bills. Writing letters can really take up time, but your state and national legislators all maintain local offices. If you jot down their phone numbers and call them, there will usually be a person at the other end taking messages. Very likely you'll get a written response to a politely worded opinion.

ARH also plans participation, along with VSH, in "The Great American Meatout" on March 20th.

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